


Moving On - chapter 7

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Fiction, M/M, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-08-24
Updated: 2003-08-24
Packaged: 2018-11-21 01:57:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11347503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Chapter Summary:  Mulder and Skinner deals with the ghost that is haunting him.  Skinner and Doggett go on a fishing trip.





	Moving On - chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

Moving On - chapter 7

### Moving On - chapter 7

#### by Jo B

  


Title: Moving On Chapter 7 - Haunted 

Author: Jo B 

Keywords: M/Sk/D friendship M/Sk Slash 

Rating: NC-17 

Chapter Summary: Mulder and Skinner deals with the ghost that is haunting him. Skinner and Doggett go on a fishing trip. 

Spoilers: Existence, season 8, and some from other seasons. 

Disclaimer: The X-Files characters are the property Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting. No money is being made from their use. 

Warning! This story contains romance between two men. Turn back now, if the subject matter offends you. 

Archive: DitB, Slashing Mulder, Doggett-slash all others please ask first. 

Web site: http://slashingmulder.com/JoB/ 

Special Beta thanks to Joey. 

* * *

Moving On Chapter 7  
Haunted  
By Jo B 

Mulder's and Skinner's Place  
Wednesday, April 11, 2001  
11:00 a.m. 

Mr. Anton slowly moved from room to room in the house with his hands held out palms down as he tried to feel for cold spots and sense any unearthly presence. He'd been a medium for over twenty-five years. His psychic abilities first manifested after he was struck by lightning as a teenager. 

Mulder and Skinner followed several steps behind him, but stayed out of his way. 

Skinner had taken the day off to be there when the psychic arrived. He didn't want to leave Fox alone after his lover had been violated several times in their home. 

Ever since Fox had been abducted before his eyes, Skinner found it easier to open himself to accept the paranormal as a possibility than it had once been. So there was no doubt in his mind that what Fox had told him, about being visited by an incubus while he slept, was true. Facing such beliefs used to frighten Skinner, he didn't like looking too deeply into the shadows for chance that he might find the demons hidden within. But for his lover's sake, Skinner was now resolute into casting himself into the shadows, if necessary, to fight any demons he might find... even his own. 

They finally ended up in the basement and wine cellar. 

Mr. Anton frowned as he walked over every inch of the space. "Sometimes it's not a place that is haunted, but a person." 

"What do you mean?" Skinner asked. 

"Your house is clean, but I sense a presence clinging around Mr. Mulder." 

Mulder paled. "Can you tell who the presence is?" 

The medium closed his eyes and concentrated. After several minutes he opened his eyes. "The presence is male and I sense that he died a violent death. He was someone close to you... A lover perhaps?" 

Mulder thought he knew who Anton was referring to and wondered if Walter realized. "Mr. Anton, can you make him leave me alone?" 

"We can try holding a seance to find out why he is haunting you, and maybe we can convince him to move on." 

"Walter?" Mulder glanced at his lover for his opinion. 

"If it is that rat bastard's spirit who is haunting you then the sooner we send him to back to hell the better!" Skinner eyes hardened with hatred at the thought that even beyond his fiery grave Krycek could still hurt Fox. 

"You know who he is?" Anton looked over at Skinner. 

"He tried to murder Fox, and I was forced to kill him." 

Anton nodded. "Okay, come to my shop tomorrow evening at eight o'clock and we'll conduct the seance from there." 

"We'll be there," Skinner said. 

They escorted the medium to the front door. 

"Thanks for coming, Mr. Anton," Mulder said. 

"I'll see both of you tomorrow evening." 

After Anton left Mulder and Skinner walked into the kitchen. 

"I'm not going to leave you at home alone until we get rid of him," Skinner said as he freed the puppy from her room. She scurried out and jumped up at his legs. 

"I'll be fine, Walter. You have your quarterly budget meeting tomorrow, you can't miss that or Kersh will have a cow." Mulder pulled out some luncheon meats from the refrigerator for their lunch and tossed his lover a tomato to slice as he went about gathering bread and condiments. 

"I forgot about that meeting. Why don't you visit Dana tomorrow? I really don't want you to be alone." 

"She's busy." Mulder fed a tiny piece of meat to the puppy. "If it makes you feel better, tomorrow I'll take the truck and run errands: pick up the dry cleaning, do our grocery shopping, and stop at the liquor store." Mulder smeared mustard on the bottom slices of bread. He spread mayonnaise on his top slice and Miracle Whip on Walter's, his lover preferred that over mayo so they had to keep both in the house. "I also need to stop by the Matthews. Judy has my business cards and stationery back from the printers. After I get all of that done I'll take Nutmeg to the park. That way I won't be alone for more than a few minutes, and besides he only attacked me while I slept. " Mulder hoped that would satisfy Walter. 

Skinner sighed, "I still don't like leaving you alone but that will have to do." He placed the tomato slices and lettuce on top of the sliced pastrami and Swiss cheese. "Fox, I want you to call me if anything odd happens." 

"Don't worry, I'll call you," Mulder said as they carried their sandwiches along with two beers over to the small breakfast table. The puppy followed them begging shamelessly for more meat. 

Skinner picked up his sandwich and took a bite. His eyes were drawn to the window and the bright sunshine. "We should see about purchasing some patio furniture, this would have been a perfect day to eat outside in the backyard." 

"Do you want to go to the patio store this weekend?" Mulder asked as he tried to conceal a frown. He was looking forward to his first client, he was beginning to feel a bit too domesticated. 

"Yeah. Might as well get it out of the way, babe." 

They ate silently for several minutes. The medium's visit had disturbed both of them more than they wanted to admit. 

"Would you like to go jogging with me later?" Mulder asked as he felt the need to work off his stress by running. 

"Sure." 

* * *

New Mexico  
Thursday, April 12, 2001  
1:00 p.m. 

On their trip down to New Mexico, Doggett had driven his new truck with Langly riding shotgun and Frohike in the backseat. They took turns driving, while Byers and Bond rode with Chuck Burks in his SUV. They had started their trip Friday afternoon and it had taken them until early Monday morning to reach their destination. They only stopped for breakfast and dinner. 

Burks' mother and father had already been in bed asleep when they arrived. So Chuck had used his key to let them inside. The house was a large five bedroom ranch on thirty acres of land where the Burks had raised Chuck and his five sisters. While the Burks might not have been wealthy they were obviously pretty well off. Chuck had gotten them settled in the four empty bedrooms. 

That was three days ago, and while they spent most of their time collecting magnetite, Doggett felt like he was on a real vacation. The first he'd had in years. The rest of the time they spent lounging around the swimming pool or horseback riding. Mrs. Burks was the perfect hostess and offered them refreshments frequently. 

Right now they sat beside the pool, sipped lemonade, and watched Langly, Burks, and Bond swim. They'd gathered the black ore for the last six hours and finally had enough to bring back to D.C. Doggett had been surprised by how much of it was lying around on the ground for the taking. 

"John, you've really been putting yourself out for Mulder," Frohike said. 

Doggett glanced over at the little man, wearing swim trunks, a fishnet vest, and fingerless gloves, sitting on the lounge chair next to his. He wondered where Frohike was going with his comment. "I consider Fox a friend who's been through a lot... I want to help him." 

"He's more to you than just a friend though." 

"Melvin, enough," Byers warned. 

Doggett met Frohike's eyes. "Yeah, I like him more than a friend, but a friend is all that he'll be as long as he is in love with Walter. Look, Frohike, I've accepted that but that doesn't stop me from wanting to help him. Too many people have deserted him in his life. Even after he was abducted none of his friends could be bothered to search for him for more than a week." Doggett looked pointedly at Byers and Frohike. "I'm not about to let him down." 

Byers took offence to Doggett's accusation. "What were we to do, John? He was abducted by aliens it wasn't as if we had the means to pursue them." 

"You could have made more of an effort." 

Frohike stood and glared down at him angrily. "Mulder's my best friend and I would go through fire for him! You don't know how much it had hurt us when he was abducted! We did the best that we could under the circumstances." 

"Sorry, guys, I'm sure you did all that you could," Doggett sighed. "Let's drop it." 

"I think we should start back for home tomorrow morning," Frohike said. 

"Chuck wanted to spend a couple more days gathering magnetite," Byers said. 

Doggett shook his head. "We already have more than our two vehicles can safely haul." 

"Okay, we'll start for home early if we make the same time we did coming here then we should be back home by Sunday morning." 

* * *

Mulder's and Skinner's Place  
Thursday, April 12, 2001  
1:30 p.m. 

Mulder had finished putting the dry cleaning away and was in the process of putting away the groceries. As he closed the freezer after putting a quart of ice cream inside, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Hearing a yelp, he spun to face the kitchen and what he saw made his legs go weak. Their puppy was being held down on her back on top of a cutting board, she was squirming and making whimpering sounds while a large knife slid out from the butcher block rack. Without a second thought Mulder hurried over to the counter and snatched their puppy off the cutting board then ran with her toward the back door. 

He tugged at the doorknob but couldn't get it to turn. As he struggled with the knob he heard a throaty laugh and his dread increased. He wondered if Krycek would fulfill the promise he had made in the FBI parking ramp to kill him. 

"What do you want?" Mulder asked as he cuddled the puppy protectively against his chest with one hand while he fought to turn the doorknob with the other. 

"You." Came the unearthly response, sounding like dried leaves rattling across a graveyard. 

"No! You're dead, leave me alone!" His breath puffed out in a visible cloud of white as he spoke, the room had turned icy cold. 

Mulder felt a hand caress down his back and squeeze his left buttock. He spun around and pressed his back up against the door. Only to have cold dead lips pressed against his and a phantom tongue forcing its way inside his mouth. The puppy whimpered frantically as it struggled to escape. Mulder's wrists were grabbed and wrenched apart. The puppy fell to the floor and scampered away to hide under a table. 

Icy fingers ripped at his clothes while he struggled uselessly against the invisible attacker. He was violently dragged into the laundry room, he was unable to make a sound with the phantom tongue down his throat. Somewhere along the way he had been stripped of his pants and underwear. The last thing Mulder remembered clearly was being lifted onto the washing machine and his legs spread as a large object penetrated his anus and slid deep inside him. He must have passed out at that point because the next thing Mulder became aware of was lying naked on the hard laundry room floor with Nutmeg licking his face and Midnight sitting on top of his chest. He lifted the kitten off and sat up, wincing at the soreness radiating from his bottom. 

He found his clothes and quickly pulled them on. Mulder glanced around nervously. He tried the back door. It opened without any effort. He looked down at the kitten and puppy staying close by his feet. He scooped the puppy up and placed her back in the walk-in closet then filled her food and water dishes all the while continuing to glance around uneasily. Mulder then fled the house to his truck parked in the driveway. Since he was the one who was haunted, he was positive that their pets would be safe as long as he was not in the house. 

Mulder didn't stop driving until he was pulling into a visitor's parking space at the FBI Hoover Building. Instead of going inside he pulled out his cell phone and dialed his lover's number. 

"Skinner," the voice answered on the other end. 

"Walter, I need you...." was all Mulder's shaky voice got out before he broke down sobbing. 

"Fox, what's wrong? Where are you?" 

"Here... in the visitor's lot...." 

"I'll be right down." 

It couldn't have been more than four minutes before Skinner was pulling open the passenger door and climbing into the truck. Mulder collapsed into his arms. 

"Shh, Fox, I'm here." 

"God, Walter, he raped me! And this time I was wide awake." 

"Fuck! Where did this happen?" 

"The laundry room in our home." 

"How are you feeling? Did he hurt you?" 

"I'm sore but there wasn't any blood." Mulder started to feel safe in Walter's arms, and his shaking subsided. 

Skinner loosened his hold on Mulder. "Are you up for the seance tonight?" 

"Walter, it doesn't matter whether I'm up for it or not. I have no choice... we need to get rid of him." 

"Okay, give me your phone. I'm going to call Kim and tell her I've left for the day." 

"What about your budget meeting?" 

"We finished a half hour ago. But even if we hadn't I'd still be leaving." 

Skinner talked briefly with his assistant then disconnected the phone. "Let's switch seats, you're in no condition to drive." 

"Where are we going?" Mulder asked as Skinner climbed out of the truck while he slid over into the passenger seat. 

"We have over four hours to kill before we have to be at Mr. Anton's," Skinner said as he climbed behind the wheel and buckled the seatbelt. He reached over and placed a hand on Mulder's shoulder. "I think we should stop over at Rosa's for an early dinner and maybe a couple of drinks. Her place is less than a mile from Anton's and it might be better if we are among other people right now." 

"I don't think I can eat anything, but a drink does sound good." 

"It's going to be all right, Fox." 

"I wish I could believe that but life doesn't seem to want to cut me any breaks." 

Skinner leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. He wanted to take Fox home and comfort him, but they had to deal with Krycek's ghost first. "Hang in there." He then started the truck and drove out of the lot. 

* * *

Five hours later they were sitting around Anton's table holding hands while the medium tried to contact the spirit that was haunting Mulder. Candles were lit around the room and a black silk tablecloth with a pentagram in the center covered the table. The strong scent of incense permeated the room. 

Anton's wife, May, and their twenty-two year old daughter, April, were also present at the table. Mulder sat between May and Walter holding their hands. 

"I sense a presence standing behind Mr. Mulder's chair," Anton said. "Make yourself known to us. What is it that you want?" 

May moaned and her eyes changed colors from deep brown to a bluish gray. "My son... I want my son," she said in a deep male voice. 

Mulder gasped and tried to pull his hand free from May's. He was shocked that it wasn't Krycek's voice he was hearing, instead he recognized the voice to be that of the smoker. He hadn't even known the man was dead. "Was it you who attacked me in the laundry room?" 

"I could never have you in life, but I claim you in death." 

Mulder felt the room spin. He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and snarled, "Leave me alone!" 

"You belong to me! You would not be if it weren't for me!" 

"He's not yours!" Skinner shook off his disbelief and glared at May. He had been certain that it had been Krycek's ghost that was haunting Mulder. 

May laughed maliciously. "A.D. Skinner, I allow you to live only because of the pleasure it gives me to see you fuck my boy." 

Mulder blushed and took a deep calming breath. He'd faced worse, hadn't he? And he had questions that he wanted answered. He could get through this as he had other incidents. "How did you die, Spender?" 

"Alex murdered me." 

"Figures. How did he kill you?" 

"I'm afraid the boy had been watching one too many old Betty Davis movies," the ghost answered. 

Mulder wasn't sure what he had meant by that vague comment. "Where's your body?" 

"You're not going to trick me into telling you that, son." 

"Don't call me that! I'm not your son!" 

Anton looked at his wife. They'd had similar experiences during seances in the past where the spirit had chosen his wife as a conduit. But never had they encountered a more malevolent spirit. His wife's aura was now a dark angry red. 

"You must move on and leave this world! I command you to go into the light!" Anton said. 

Phlegm flew out of his wife's mouth as she snarled, "It is forbidden!" 

"Charles, I will not allow you to hurt my son." Everyone turned to face April when she suddenly started to speak. 

"Mom?" Mulder asked. His eyes widened with surprise. 

Anton realized that he'd opened the door to more than just the spirit haunting Mulder. 

"Teena, this does not concern you," the smoker said. 

"I committed suicide to protect Fox. I damned my soul for him... I won't allow you to harm him." 

"I'm stronger than you, woman." 

"Touch him again and I'll tell Fox where he can find your remains." 

May glared across the table at her daughter. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage. I'll leave him alone for now...." 

"You'll leave him alone forever!" 

"Oh very well, Teena...." May's eyes turned brown again as the spirit left her. She appeared bewildered. 

Mulder focused his attention on April. "Mom, what do you mean that you committed suicide to protect me? Who is my father?" 

"Don't worry, Fox, Charles isn't your father." April glanced across the table at Skinner. "Take care of my son, A.D. Skinner." Then she was gone. 

"This is great!" Anton said, "I've never experienced a stronger connection with the spirit world!" 

"Mr. Anton, do you think he'll leave me alone now?" 

"Your mother sounded determined to prevent him from harming you." 

Skinner still held Mulder's right hand. He squeezed it reassuringly. "Why was he afraid of your finding his remains?" 

"He knows that I've studied the occult and would figure out how to use his corpse against him," Mulder said as they stood he clarified, "The occult is peppered with stories about how to use the human remains to control and imprison its spirit." 

"Mr. Mulder, I'd love to discuss the occult with you," Anton said. 

"Just Mulder." He smiled sadly, remembering how much he missed being an FBI agent and his X-Files where he learned most of what he knew about the occult. "Anything you'd like to know... I owe you for helping me with my ghost problem." 

"Can we arrange to meet over lunch tomorrow?" 

"Sure." 

"Why don't you come back here at noon? May will fix lunch for us." 

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Mulder shook his hand then walked over and hugged Skinner. He felt physically and emotionally drained. "Take me home, Walter." 

Skinner looped an arm around Mulder's back as they walked down the steps to the truck. 

When they arrived home, Mulder spoke for the first time since they left Anton's. "My mom intentionally didn't tell me who my father was; only who he wasn't." 

Skinner turned off the engine. "Why would you think that Bill Mulder wasn't your father?" 

"I've had a gut feeling for some time now that he wasn't. I had been worried that the smoker might have been. Now I'm no longer sure who or even if I had a father." Mulder looked down at his lap. "You know I'm different, Walter... I'm not fully human...." 

"It doesn't matter, Fox." 

"It matters to me. I need to know what the hell I am!" Mulder opened the door and climbed out of the truck. "All of my life I've been living a lie controlled by others. I thought that I knew who and what I was... then that alien artifact affected me and later I was abducted because of what I am!" 

Skinner remained quiet and allowed Fox to get it off his chest. 

"I no longer know if it was me or some outside force that determined the direction my life has taken. Walter, I need to know once and for all!" 

"Do you have any idea how you're going to find this information?" 

Mulder thought for moment. "Marita. She might know something. I just need to locate her." 

Skinner touched Mulder's arm. "Okay. You do whatever it takes, I'll support you." 

Mulder sighed, "Thanks, Walter." 

* * *

Mulder's and Skinner's Place  
Sunday, April 15, 2001  
1:30 p.m. 

Mulder pressed the send button on the email, sending out another inquiry about Marita's whereabouts. The last three days had been overly stressful for Mulder. He was still nervous about being alone. Although he was positive that Spender's ghost wouldn't try to attack him again, not with his mother protecting him. After he was returned from being abducted by aliens, he found that locking painful memories away was the best way he had of cooping with them. He did the same with being raped by Spender's spirit. If he were to dwell on it, then he'd be unable to continue to function normally. 

At times, memories would slip to the surface and he'd be faced with a full blown daytime nightmare. Thankfully those instances were rare. Now he had to deal with the side-effects of being attacked by Spender... that involved fear and anxiousness over being alone. 

While Walter was at work Friday, he had visited the Antons for most of the afternoon. When he had arrived home Walter was already there and had dinner in the oven. 

Mulder had noticed the new automatic dog food and fresh water dispensers in the puppy's room. Walter must have sensed how nervous he still was about being alone in the house, and didn't want their puppy to starve because of it or maybe he didn't want Mulder to feel obligated to come home every four hours to feed Nutmeg. Mulder couldn't wait for Scully to move in. At least with her living with them, he wouldn't be alone in the house as often. 

Saturday they had spent together shopping for patio furniture. Mulder allowed Walter to select the set that he liked, since Walter was the one who was the most enthusiastic about having outdoor parties. They hauled the patio furniture home in the truck, making two trips. Mulder hadn't minded the physical labor; it kept his mind occupied. And he had to admit the whole teakwood set spoke of Walter's excellent taste in furniture. He would have been happy with plastic lawn chairs. 

Rosa's son-in-law was going to be out to install their new gas grill next week. The mammoth grill that his lover had selected from the catalog was large enough to roast a whole suckling pig. It also had two gas burners and a built in refrigerator. Walter was already planning to build some sort of arbor above it to protect the grill from the weather. 

Mulder smiled as he lazily pet the kitten, stroking its soft fur. He enjoyed seeing Walter happy and that damned grill was already a source of great joy. 

His mind drifted to John, if only Walter could fall in love with the other man like he had done. Then there'd be a third man in the house and that much more love. The three of them together had become one of his secret fantasies. 

Mulder spent the next hour contemplating how to get his lover and John together, until his thoughts were interrupted by Walter walking into the office carrying a tray. 

"I've made us some iced tea and BLT sandwiches. Yours with mayo and mine with salad dressing," he announced as he set the tray on the coffee table. 

Midnight jumped off the desk and hurried over to the coffee table. Mulder was surprised that the kitten had stayed in the office with him while Walter was frying bacon in the kitchen. Bacon was one of Midnight's favorite foods. 

Walter scooped the little furball up before he could get at the sandwiches. 

"Thanks, Walter. I didn't even realize how hungry I was until you showed up." Mulder plopped down on the sofa and grabbed his sandwich. He lifted the bread and snapped a piece of the crispy bacon off and gave it to Midnight. 

Skinner settled on the sofa next to him. "You've been at it since seven o'clock this morning. Have you located Marita yet?" 

"No, but I've made progress on the Doug Matthews' case. I may have enough solid evidence for you to take to the OPC next week." 

"That is good news, and you've done all of that without leaving this room?" 

Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "I've maintained friendships with detectives at various PDs across the country. How do you think I got most of my leads to various X-Files over the years?" 

"I always assumed from reading tabloid headlines at the grocery store checkout line," Skinner replied deadpan. 

"Wrong. There were only two cases I found in the tabloids." Mulder smiled and took a sip of iced tea. "Walter, it's amazing what some of these detectives know about the corruption within the FBI." 

"Keep me updated on what you're finding out." 

"I will." 

* * *

Doggett backed his truck into the driveway. The garage door opened and Skinner stepped outside. 

"Did you come alone?" Skinner asked. 

"Yeah. I dropped Frohike and Langly off at their place. We drove straight through, taking turns driving. We were all smelling pretty ripe after two days on the road. They wanted to shower and take a nap." Doggett stretched sore muscles. "As soon as we get my truck unloaded I'm going to head home to soak in a hot bath." 

"John, go inside and use our whirlpool bath. Fox and I will take care of unloading your truck?" 

Doggett was going to decline but the thought of soaking in their large whirlpool tub was just too appealing. "Thanks, I think I'll do that. Where's Fox?" 

"In his office working," Skinner said as he lifted the gate on the back of the truck. The magnetite had been packaged into small cardboard boxes. Each weighing about fifty pounds. "When you go in can you ask Fox to come outside and help me?" 

"Sure. Where do you plan to store it?" 

"The basement where my workshop is located." Skinner lifted a box and carried it into the garage and set it by the back door. He planned to carry them downstairs as soon as he had the truck unloaded. 

Doggett grabbed his bag from the truck and headed inside. He stopped to pet the puppy before heading to Mulder's office. 

Mulder was on the computer typing an email. The kitten was sitting on the desk next to the keyboard, swatting at his fingers as they moved across the keyboard. Every once and a while Mulder would take his hand off the keyboard and wrestle the kitten onto its back. The kitten seemed to enjoy the game because he'd pop back up and continue his attack on Mulder's fingers. 

"Hey, Fox. Walter needs your help outside." 

Mulder spun in the chair and jumped to his feet. "John, when did you get back?" 

"About twenty minutes ago." 

"You look like shit," Mulder said after hugging the other man. "And you definitely need a shower." 

"You try sleeping inside a pickup truck for two days. Do you have any idea how nerve-racking it is when Frohike is driving?" Doggett sighed tiredly. "I wasn't sure if his little feet would reach the pedals or that he could see over the steering wheel." 

"Frohike is a better driver than Langly." 

"I know... I found that out." 

"John, why don't you go take a shower and get some sleep. We're going out to eat at the Blue Moon later, you're welcome to join us." 

"I'm going to use your whirlpool bath, but a nap does sound good and so does food." 

Doggett headed to the master bedroom while Mulder headed outside to help Skinner. 

He paused in the doorway to the bathroom and looked contentedly at that large bathtub. Doggett dropped his bag on the bench, started the tub filling as he stripped. 

He was already making plans to replace his bathtub at home with a Jacuzzi tub. As he waited for the bathtub to fill, Doggett looked at the different bath oils and even the bottle of Mr. Bubble on the ledge of the bathtub. He twisted the caps off each and sniffed the different fragrances before finally settling on the sandalwood. He poured a little of it under the running water while noting the candles that were set up around the tube. 

He could picture Fox and Walter bathing together by candlelight. That image both aroused and saddened him. Why had he fallen in love with Fox? It just wasn't fair that he'd lose his heart to a man who was off limits. He stepped into the tub and sank down into the water before turning on the jets of the whirlpool. 

Bliss. He closed his eyes and laid back to enjoy the jets against his sore muscles. It seemed like only a few minutes had past before Fox was shaking his shoulder and whispering into his ears. 

"John, c'mon wake up. You're turning into a prune." 

He peeled an eye open and looked at Fox, while he noted that the water wasn't as hot as it once was. "What time is it?" 

"Five o'clock. You've been soaking for three hours." Mulder smiled as his eyes grazed over John's body. "I would have woke you sooner but you looked so peaceful. I did turn on the bathtub heater... it doesn't get very hot but it prevents the water from getting cold." 

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get out now." Doggett tilted his head toward the door, indicating that Mulder should leave. 

"I don't mind. Would you like me to dry your back?" Mulder couldn't resist flirting. 

"Ahem." The sound of Skinner clearing his throat from the bedroom had Mulder looking guiltily in that direction and quickly standing. 

Doggett only chuckled. "Does that mean drying my back is out?" 

Mulder glanced at Doggett on his way toward the door and mouthed. 'Some other time.' 

Doggett shook his head as he listened to the two men speaking in hushed whispers in the next room. He knew Mulder would only go so far with flirting with him. He didn't want to encourage him. Doggett had come to value his friendship with Walter and didn't want to allow his feelings for Fox to jeopardize it. 

After shaving and dressing, Doggett carried his bag into the kitchen and set it on a stool. Walter was in the kitchen slicing a lime and added it to three tumblers. 

"You're looking better," Skinner said. 

"I'm feeling better. Where's Fox?" 

"In the backyard with Nutmeg. I thought we'd christen the new patio furniture by having cocktails before we head over to the restaurant. It would give us a chance to talk and plan how to best use the magnetite." 

"Sounds good. Do you need any help?" 

"Nope. I have it under control," Skinner said as he poured tonic water into the tumblers. 

Doggett held the back door open for Skinner as he carried the tray with the drinks outside and over to an umbrella covered patio table with six chairs around it. 

"Wow. This set had to of set you back a pretty penny," Doggett said. 

Mulder walked over to the table with the puppy chasing at his heels. The backyard was completely enclosed with a tall cedar fence, so it was safe to allow her to play without a leash. They were still discussing whether to get the puppy fixed. Skinner was against it while Mulder thought it would be best if she were. 

If there was any friction between Fox and Walter over the bathroom incident, Doggett couldn't see it. They seemed even more loving toward each other. 

"Do you fish, John?" Mulder asked as Walter handed him one of the tumblers from the tray. 

"Yep. Why?" 

"The spring fishing opener begins on April 28th. I thought that maybe you and Walter could take a trip up to his uncle's cabin and spend the week fishing together." 

"Fox, I'm not about to leave you alone at this time," Skinner said. 

"Walter, Scully is moving in with us on the 28th. I think it would be best if you were elsewhere while she and William got settled." 

"Why? I like Scully and I believe she likes me." 

"I think she'd feel more comfortable if you weren't here though." 

Skinner frowned, he did have a way of making some people uncomfortable, but he was sure Scully wasn't one of them. Fox was up to something but he wasn't sure what. It could be that Fox was just concerned about his health and this was his way of getting him to take a vacation. He did love to fish, and John would probably make a good fishing buddy. 

"I just took a week of vacation, Fox," Doggett said. 

"You were suppose to take two weeks, but you got back early. Besides it was a working vacation. You and Walter could both use a stress free week, or at the very least, a long weekend." 

"What about you?" 

"I've been unemployed for months now. The last thing I need is a vacation." 

"Since it isn't for two weeks, I'll think about it, Fox," Skinner said. 

* * *

Mulder's and Skinner's Place  
Saturday, April 21, 2001  
5:30 p.m. 

A week later. Mulder was in the dining room setting the table. His arms, shoulders, and back were sore from crushing the magnetite into tiny pieces with a sledgehammer over the past few days. After they had it in small enough pieces Walter was going to use a grinder to grind it down to a powder. They would then mix it with asphalt and paint and use it to protect the their home from replicants. Walter wanted to take care of that before he left on his fishing trip next weekend. 

Inside a cage in Mulder's office, they had the present for the Gunmen. Mulder and Skinner had searched for the last two weeks until they found a pedigree German Shepherd puppy. Mulder thought that a female dog would be best, if his friends ever wanted to make some extra money by breeding her. 

The Gunmen were coming over for dinner tonight. Mulder and Skinner wanted to thank them for their efforts in retrieving the magnetite from New Mexico. General Gideon McKnight was also joining them for dinner to discuss the resistance. 

Mulder walked into the kitchen. "Mmm, now that smells good." He placed his hand on Skinner's back as he looked into the skillet where his lover was frying large plump meatballs in olive oil for the spaghetti he was making for dinner. One of Mulder's favorite foods was Walter's meatballs. They were always tender and tasty. He watched as his lover transferred the browned meatballs into a large pot of thick tomato vodka sauce. 

"Fox, would you go down to the cellar and bring up several bottles of Merlot?" Skinner asked. 

"Sure." 

Mulder opened the door to the basement and flipped on the light switch before heading down. In one corner was Walter's workshop. With his workbench, power tools and a pegboard filled with every imaginable tool and hardware item neatly aligned in an order that fit Walter's strict method of organization. Mulder had found out just how strict. He had taken a screwdriver last week to fix a shelf in his office and he hadn't place it back in the right spot on the pegboard when he was done with it. He then had to listen to an hour long lecture from Walter about putting the tools back in their proper places. 

Over in a corner next to Walter's workshop was the large pile of finally crushed magnetite. Next to it was the furnace and hot water heater. On the other side of the basement was the wine cellar. They had started stocking it with wine selected from the wine-tastings that they had gone on with John. Mulder smiled. Those were fun evenings together. He thought John was fast becoming as good of a wine connoisseur as Walter. 

He walked over to the wine cellar and opened the locked wrought iron door. It would come in handy once William was older and getting around the house on his own. Walter would probably insist on keeping the door to the basement locked, too. 

Mulder froze as he was reaching for a bottle of wine and spotted Krycek casually leaning up against the wall. 

"What do you want?" 

"I wasn't able to come before with the smoker hanging around you. His spirit is much more powerful than I am." 

Mulder didn't sense anything malevolent about Krycek's ghost. "Alex, why are you here?" 

"I need to make restitutions before I'll be allowed through the light." 

"What do you mean?" 

"The sins I committed while I was alive. Fox, I need to earn your forgiveness." 

"I forgive you, Alex," Mulder said softly. 

Krycek smiled sadly. "It's not that simple." 

Mulder frowned as he made one of his leaps. "My mother is not allowed through the light is she?" 

"No. She committed suicide, and her soul is doomed to walk the Earth forever." 

"Fuck." Mulder closed his eyes as sadness overwhelmed him. When he opened them back up, several minutes later, Krycek was gone. 

"Fox, are you okay down there?" Walter called from the top of the staircase. 

"I'm fine!" Mulder called back as he grabbed three bottles of wine. He paused briefly as he left the cellar to glance back to where Krycek had been standing. 

Mulder moistened his lips, he was not looking forward to the conversation he was going to have with Walter this evening about his visitor. 

* * *

Lightening flashed outside and thunder rumbled in the distance. The chandelier above the dining room table flickered. They spent dinner discussing the resistance group they were setting up to fight against the alien replicants and the military's super-soldiers. 

Frohike leaned back in the chair and loosened his belt. "Those were the best meatballs, I've ever eaten. Much better than any I've made. You're going to have to give me your recipe, Walt." 

Skinner smiled. "It was my grandmother's recipe. The trick is in using the right bread and one secret ingredient." 

"They were excellent, Walter," Byers said as he dabbed the spaghetti sauce off his beard with a linen napkin. 

Mulder stood and set the kitten on the floor. Midnight had been taking a nap on his lap throughout dinner. The kitten stretched then looked around before hopping up on Doggett's lap as Mulder started clearing away the empty plates. 

Doggett had been about to get up to help Mulder with the dishes, but instead he relaxed back in his chair and scratched the kitten behind the ear. 

"Do you want to serve dessert, Walter?" Mulder asked. 

"Sure, babe," Skinner said as he rose and helped Mulder finish clearing the table. 

They walked into the kitchen together. While Mulder was rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher, Skinner scooped up the pistachio ice cream. Thunder boomed directly overhead, and Nutmeg started whimpering and barking from her room. 

Mulder glanced over at the walk-in closet. "I better go get the Gunmen's puppy from my office, the poor thing is probably scared to death...." The power went out before he could finish his sentence, throwing the room into darkness. 

Skinner opened the cabinet over the sink and pulled out a flashlight while Mulder lit a couple of candles that were on the counter. Skinner popped his head into the dining room to check on their guests. They already had the candles on the table lit. 

"Do you need any help, Walt?" Doggett asked. 

"Yeah, can you serve the ice cream while I get Nutmeg? She seems to be afraid of the storm." 

"I hope our power hasn't gone out," Langly said. He had left a program running on his computer that still had another two hours to go before it would be completed. The backup battery surge suppresser the computer was plugged into only would last for one hour. 

Doggett picked up the tray with the bowls of ice cream off the counter. He smiled as Mulder walked into the kitchen cradling a small German Shepherd puppy. The puppy was licking his face, much like Doggett longed to do. 

Doggett carried the pistachio ice cream into the dining room and passed out the bowls. As Frohike lifted his spoon and dug into the cold creamy treat, Mulder walked into the room and placed the puppy on his lap while Walter handed Byers an envelope with a gift certificate for a three year supply of dog food and two years of vet visits, along with the dog's pedigree papers. Walter was holding Nutmeg. The puppy was trembling as the house shook with the next crack of thunder. 

"What's this?" Frohike asked as he dropped the spoon so he could cuddle the puppy. 

"She's a thank you present," Mulder said. 

"Cool! Can I hold her, Melvin?" Bond asked. 

"Wait your turn, Jimmy," Langly said as he walked around the table and squatted beside Frohike's chair to get a good look at their new dog. 

General McKnight said, "She looks like a fine dog." 

Frohike had tears in his eyes when he looked up at Mulder and Skinner. "Thanks, guys." 

"What are you going to name her?" Skinner asked. 

Frohike held the puppy up and looked into her eyes. "I think Gromit. Only the smartest dog for us... right, boys?" 

"Right, Melvin," Byers said. He doubted that this dog would make much of a guard dog. Not with the way Frohike and the others were going to baby her. 

Everyone sat back at the table to eat the ice cream. 

"Walter and John are going on a fishing trip next weekend," Mulder started. "Guys, do you want to come over and help Scully move in?" 

"I'll help," Bond said as Frohike passed the puppy to him. 

"If you provide the pizza and beer, I'll be there," Langly said. 

"We'll come even without the pizza and beer," Frohike said. 

* * *

While Mulder was getting ready for bed, he weighed telling Walter about seeing Krycek's ghost. They had discussed being totally honest with each other and not keeping secrets. But Mulder also knew how Walter felt about Krycek, and he didn't want to upset him needlessly, and then there was the fishing trip that Walter was looking forward to taking with John. If Walter found out about Krycek then the trip would be off. 

Mulder rinsed his toothbrush and placed it back in the holder. Walter was at the other sink washing his face. They were both bare chested and wearing only their underwear. Mulder loved Walter's white briefs, they left very little to the imagination as they tightly hugged his flesh. Even nearing fifty the man was still well built. 

"The Gunmen seemed happy with our present," Mulder said. 

"It felt good to pay them back for everything they've done for us," Skinner said. 

"I should have done something for them years ago." 

"You did give Frohike all of your adult videos." 

"I didn't need them any longer." Mulder leered at his lover. "Although I wouldn't mind shooting a few of our own." 

Skinner set the washcloth down and turned to face his lover. "Fox, while the thought of having a tape of us making love is appealing, I'd rather not take the chance of it falling into the wrong hands. With our luck it would find it's way onto the internet." 

Mulder placed his hands on Skinner's narrow hips. "And people call me paranoid." 

"With good reason." Skinner arms looped around him. "You are paranoid." 

Mulder smirked. "Can you blame me?" 

Skinner sighed, brought his lips over Mulder's, and kissed him deeply. When the kiss ended, he hugged Mulder tight and murmured, "I can't blame you. If I was more paranoid a year ago maybe you wouldn't have been abducted." 

* * *

Skinner's Uncle's Cabin  
Saturday, April 28, 2001  
7:00 a.m. 

The wind picked up and whipped across the lake as Skinner started the motor on the fourteen-foot aluminum fishing boat and headed for another part of the lake. The boat bounced up and down as it encountered waves stirred up by the wind. 

Doggett held onto the bottom of the metal seat as he bounced along with the boat. The boat crested a wave and slammed back down, making his teeth snap together as ice cold water splashed into the boat, spraying him in the face and settling in the bottom of the boat around his feet. The two men had been fishing since five o'clock in the morning and hadn't even had a nibble. Doggett shivered. The mountain lake was ice cold, and the air temperature this early in the morning was only in the forties. Doggett enjoyed fishing, but he didn't enjoy freezing his ass off. At least it was still too early in the season for bugs. 

Skinner killed the motor, and dropped the anchor when they arrived at another fishing spot. 

They both wore orange life jackets, Skinner had on a canvas fishing hat while Doggett wore a FBI cap on his head. The tips of Doggett's ears were red as were his cheeks and nose. Skinner on the other hand didn't appear to be bothered by the weather. 

"I hope this spot is better than the last one," Doggett grumbled as he baited his hook with a leech. His fingers were so stiff from the cold that he had a bit of a struggle getting the hook through the squirming creature. 

Skinner turned around on the metal bench and reached for his fishing rod. He glanced up at Doggett and frowned with concern. "John, your lips are purple. We could go back to the cabin and come out later when it's warmer." 

"I-I'm fine, Walt." Doggett checked the depth finder then adjusted the bobbin on the line before casting it out. "My Daddy didn't raise no pansy ass." 

Skinner shrugged and baited his own hook. They sat quietly fishing for the next two hours. It was a silence born from the comfort of a friendship that had developed and deepened over that past few months. 

Doggett finally got a nibble on his line. He watched the bobbin as it bobbed ever so slightly. He licked his lips as he waited patiently then suddenly the plastic ball disappeared beneath the surface of the water. He yanked on the line to set the hook before reeling in his catch. Skinner waited until the fish was at the side of the boat before he reached into the water and scooped it up behind the gills. 

Skinner held up a nice-sized bluegill. "I'd say its about a two pounder." Then he took the hook out of its mouth and placed it in the live well. 

"At least we'll have something for lunch," Doggett commented as he baited his hook with another leech. Before he could cast it out Skinner's bobbin disappeared beneath the water. 

"Hey! It looks like they're finally biting!" Skinner said as a smile spread across his lips. 

The boat was anchored close to shore with tall trees blocking the view of the sky to the west, so neither man noticed the dark storm clouds forming in that direction. By the time the sky turned black overhead, and a flash of lightning pulled their attention off the fish they were catching, it was already too late to make it back across the lake to the cabin. Both men glanced up at the sky. 

"Walt, it looks like we're in for a storm. Should we head back to the cabin?" 

Skinner frowned as large raindrops started falling. "I'd rather not get caught out in the middle of the lake in an aluminum boat during a thunderstorm. Let's make for shore and ride it out." 

They reeled in their lines, placed the fishing poles in the boat just as the sky opened up with a drenching downpour. Skinner weighed anchor, started the motor, and steered them toward shore. As they got close to the sandy bank lightning flashed and struck a tall pine tree. The tree toppled. 

"John, look out!" Skinner shouted as he dived out of the boat a heartbeat before the tree landed on top of it. He surfaced a few seconds later as lightning flashed, and rain and wind pounded down on the lake. Skinner glanced around frantically for Doggett. When he dove overboard, Skinner had lost his glasses so it made seeing difficult. He spotted the blurry orange of Doggett's life jacket in the water. He swore and swam toward the body of his companion who was floating face down in the icy water. Skinner pushed past branches of the tree. With the water temperature being so cold they only had a few minutes to get onto land before hypothermia set in. 

He untangled Doggett from the branches of the pine tree and rolled him onto his back. Then he got a firm grip on Doggett's life jacket and started swimming toward the bank. Once he was in shallow water, Skinner stood and walked the remainder of the way. His feet sank into the mossy muck as he dragged Doggett up onto shore and immediately started doing CPR. Skinner was both frantic and focused as he breathed into his friend's mouth. Doggett's skin was gray and clammy. His lips a bluish-purple. He had a head wound that was bleeding profusely but the cold rain washed the blood away. Skinner ignored both the weather and Doggett's head wound as he tried desperately to get his friend to breathe. 

"C'mon, John, breathe!" he ordered between blowing air into Doggett's lungs. He was beginning to panic and his heart ached at the thought that he might have already lost him. "Goddammit breathe!" He pressed his lips over Doggett's mouth and blew as he pinch the man's nose shut. "I'm not going to let you die! Do you hear me!" 

A cough then a gush of water spurted out of Doggett's mouth. Skinner turned him on his side and rubbed his back as Doggett coughed up the water he had swallowed. 

Skinner felt the sudden sting of marble-sized hail hit his bald scalp. He quickly kneeled over the top of Doggett forming a tent with his body to protect his friend from the frozen stones of ice. The life jacket provided some protection to Skinner's torso, but the back of his head and lower body took the brunt of the hail. When it stopped they were lying in about an inch of the ice and the back of Skinner's scalp stung. He was sure he'd gotten some large welts and bruises. 

"John, we need to find shelter... someplace dry where we can build a fire," Skinner said as he shivered. Their cabin was on the opposite side of the lake and it would take them all day to walk there if they were both in good condition. 

"W-Walt, I-I think my leg's broken...." Doggett was shivering uncontrollably. 

Skinner looked into his pain-filled eyes. "Don't worry, John. It's going to all right." He knew Doggett wasn't going to survive for long if they couldn't find a place where Skinner could get some warmth into his body and attend to his injuries. The head wound worried him more than the broken leg. If he had a concussion, he could fall into a coma. 

"I'm going to carry you," Skinner said after he examined Doggett's leg and determined that it was a simple fracture. "These hills are filled with caves and rocky crevices, we should be able to find someplace to ride out the storm." 

Doggett found that it hurt to breathe, let alone talk. His throat burned from swallowing so much lake water. He asked in a harsh whisper, "Are you going to be able to see without your glasses?" 

"I can see well enough that we shouldn't walk head first into a tree or fall off a cliff," Skinner quipped as he hefted Doggett over his shoulders into a fireman carry. "But if you notice a cave entrance be sure to tell me." 

Doggett groaned as the world spun, he struggled to keep his eyes opened but eventually succumbed to dizziness and passed out. 

* * *

Mulder's and Skinner's residence  
Saturday, April 28, 2001  
11:00 a.m. 

Mulder held one end of the sofa while Bond held the other as they carried it upstairs to the lounge, which was to be Scully's private living room. They walked down a short hall that had a long railing looking over the great room below and on the other side another railing overlooking the foyer. Mulder hardly ever came upstairs. The few times that he had was to get Walter from his upstairs office. 

They set the sofa against the wall facing the fireplace. 

"At least that was the last large piece of furniture," Mulder said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. They had moved Scully's and William's bedroom furniture upstairs earlier. Scully and Reyes were making the beds and unpacking her clothes and linens. 

William was with Mrs. Scully. She would bring him over this afternoon. 

Scully and Reyes stood in the hallway looking at the railings. Scully looked up at Mulder and Bond. "Mulder, when William starts getting around on his own we're going to have to child-proof these railings and staircase." 

"Walter's already purchased some plastic mesh that he plans to install around the rails. He also picked up those plastic plug caps for the electrical outlets and plastic doorknob covers to keep Billie the Kid out of the bathrooms and basement." Mulder glanced over the railing, standing below in the big room was Krycek. Their eyes met. 

"It sounds like the A.D. has planned ahead," Reyes said as she wrapped an arm around Scully's waist. 

Mulder looked from Krycek to how casually his ex-partner and Reyes were standing in each other arms. Okay, he never pictured Scully as being a lesbian and wondered how far she and Reyes had gone. He reached into his pocket and handed Bond four, twenty dollar bills. "I need to check on something in the basement, Jimmy, why don't you order the pizzas." 

"Sure, Mulder." Bond pocketed the money and followed Mulder downstairs. He headed into the kitchen while Mulder headed to the basement. 

"What, Alex?" Mulder said as he stood alone in the middle of the basement. He had been feeling a growing sense of anxiety over the last few hours. 

Krycek appeared in front of him. "John Doggett will die if you don't make it to him in time." 

"What happened?" 

Krycek vanished without any further explanations. 

* * *

End of Chapter 7 - Haunted 

Coming soon chapter 8 - Rescue 

Feedback   
  

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Jo B


End file.
